49 Comments
Newsworthy day for belly dancers and linguists, the Fall 2007 New Group Recognition process over at the Activities Board at Columbia comes to a close. There were five groups to make the cut: Columbia Ballet Collective, Columbia Bellydancing Troupe, Columbia Linguistic Society, Organization of Latin American Students, and Onyx.
ABC also released their 2007-2008 budget, which includes the allocations and debts of each ABC-sponsored club, event, and publication. It’s available for close reading here. More after the jump.
Winners for most-in-debt:
American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics ($3,941.04)
The Blue and White ($3,510.41) (we can explain…)
Notes and Keys ($1,931,56)
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers ($1,229.93)
Club Bangla ($1,140.29)
Total amount requested by CU organizations: $482,482.54
Total amount ABC bequeathed: $327,259.33
Percentage of requests honored to the exact amount: roughly 12% (forgive Bwog our errors, we’re not econ majors)
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49 Comments
@Uhh Why should the existing student groups determine whether a new group is recognized? It’d be one thing if the individuals could all vote, but since it’s each group, they have a vested interest in not having more competition for funds.
@guy who knows things SGB groups also have a vested interest in making sure that religious, political, activist, humanitarian stuff gets done on campus. If you look at their voting trend, they approve the vast majority of groups that approach for recognition and all but one or two that the Exec Board has recommended in the last 4 or 5 years.
Maybe ABC groups would act differently if their recognition system was the same as SGB’s, but thats because the groups themselves are of different natures. That’s why there are different procedures.
@... ABC’s new group recognition process is handled by the representatives themselves… you know, the people elected by the student groups themselves.
@...... SGB’s new group recognition is handled by the student groups themselves. The SGB e-board votes on a recommendation for recognition, and then student groups themselves vote to accept or reject that recommendation; two-thirds majority to overturn a recommendation.
You know, the people in the groups themselves. Are you actually trying to suggest the ABC is a democratic organization that encourages student self-government? Bahaha.
@umm that’s like 5 somewhat big groups…abc’s got a LOT more big groups than that. use your common sense!
@Right and so does the SGB, but I’m not going to list them all for you. Use your common sense!
@No, SGB groups are not a lot smaller than ABC groups. Hillel, MSA, CPU, the Dems, HSO, etc. are probably about the same size if not larger than the largest ABC groups.
@expert says RECOGNIZE THE GADFLY!
common ABC, be cool.
@haha this is just awkward.
@what? They’ve replaced the sundial ball?
@fact If they hadn’t spent so much damn money replacing the sundial ball, this wouldn’t have happened.
@what the hell is American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics
has anyone heard of them?
@yeah don’t the build the plane that competes every year?
@wtf Mock Trial gets $25,000???
@Stephen Schwelp This is why all mock trials end in settlements in which the prosecution and the defense divide up ABC’s allocation.
@debt Blue and White is $3500 in the debt?
@The King of Spain My generous patronage is available to all who would swear fealty, if anyone is interested.
@Robin Hood Fear not, lovely students of Columbia! It is I, Robin Hood. I shall steal from the rich and give to the poor. Then, I shall steal from the now rich poor, and give to the now poor rich. I shall repeat until reaching equilibrium. Then, I shall establish a dictatorship.
@meh I just want to point out how awesome the track function is in discussions like this one.
@...... ♪♫ our insufficient fuuuuuuunds! ♪♫
@... Didn’t you pay attention to the Varsity Show last year? That explains how ABC works, duh…
@ahah abc is elected by all of the groups at the annual general meeting (april 30th this year)
-abc rep
@??? who elects abc and sgb?
@Elections ALL SGB board members are elected by members of each of their groups. One representative from each group (1 each from each of Hillel’s 5 groups) attends the SGB Spring Town Hall and votes. Those running for SGB positions have usually had some experience running one of those groups, so it is a grass-roots organization. Groups have the final say on new group recognition and changes to the constitution.
ABC’s representatives are elected by groups. But their e-board (President, Treasurer, etc) are elected internally. New group recognition is not in the hands of existing groups.
Full disclosure: I have made a lot of the pro-SGB comments on this thread, so no prizes for guessing which board I was formerly a member of.
@DHI If these organizations were adequately funded there wouldn’t be all this squabbling. Like #11 said, there’s a lot of wasted money here. Using money to help students do things is good.
@hello yeah, let’s see sgb’s budget! where is it?
@so what but abc groups are better!
@hmm SGB should post their allocations b/c you would be shocked to find which SGB groups get far less than most of these ABC groups.
@... but the fact of the matter is that SGB groups are a LOT smaller than ABC groups. that’s why I said per CAPITA not per GROUP. some ABC groups like CSC are absolutely massive whereas most SGB groups are really tiny in terms of membership.
anyway, still waiting for SGB to make their budget public…
@how many groups applied for recognition? And how many were random (e.g. Texan vegetarians, Simpsons’ club)
@sgb... Haha, SGB groups get WAY more money per capita. Plus, they recognize groups left and right.
And, uh, why isn’t their budget public?
@na/ abc needs more money! so abc can give more money to its groups!
@haha Thanks Maxine Fortune!
@Nope ABC needs to get it’s budget cut, so everybody else can get more money.
@nope sgb needs to stop hating. abc is awesome!
@WORD So much money is wasted at this University while ABC gets so little.
Also, go Linguistics!
@yay! yay linguistics!
@ABC blows.
@Ridiculous I love it….ABC claims that they only accept groups that do not overlap existing ones….yet we now have how many dance groups? THREE JUST THIS SEMESTER?
And how many organizations devoted to specific national/regional students?
ABC is undemocratic nepotism at its finest.
@Uhh Personally, I don’t think ballet and bellydancing have much in common at all. They’re about as similar as, say, the Chinese Students Club and the Organization of Pakistani Students. I mean, they’re both specific regional interests, but funding those groups, since there’s demand for them, is sort of the whole point of ABC existing.
@.... There is absurd overlap: Southeast Asian student groups, Latino student groups, sketch comedy groups, dance groups, vocal groups.
Groups that get recognition tend to be those with connections to ABC board members. Why on earth is ABC not subject to democratic review? They’re like the politburo.
@ABCer #2 ABC meetings are open to the public; come review democratically anytime you like.
@ABCer #1 Wednesdays at 8:30 in Lerner 402!
And @#25, the notes, how do you make them?
@hmmm Really? ABC meetings are in 402? The Dean’s conference room? How did you convince them to hand that room over to you???
@ABCer Bwog, get your facts right… the groups you mentioned were recognized LAST semester. The deadline last night was for groups that are looking for recognition for the spring semester.
@Riddle Me This How does the Blue and White spend $12,000 a year and remain unfunny?
@better question the hell does Conversio Virium do with $1,030? Bondage field trips? I hate this school.
@Bwog Commenter AAAH SEXUAL DEVIANTS RA RA RA! I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO HARVARD! IF ONLY I HAD GOTTEN IN! RA RA RA!
BALLET IS THE SAME AS BELLY DANCING! SOUTH EAST ASIANS ARE THE SAME AS LATINOS! I HATE GEORGE KREBS AND MICHELLE DIAMOND! I DON’T EAT FOOD; I’M FUELED BY MY OWN SENSE OF SEXUAL FRUSTRATION!
@Woohoo mike dreyfuss is the most cunning linguist!!! He is the man.